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Advisory Opportunities Emerge from Core CAS Offerings
Think about where your insights originate.
By Hitendra Patil
Client Accounting Services: The Definitive Success Guide
“We want to offer outsourced CFO and advisory services.”
It has become an increasingly common intent of accounting firms of all sizes.
MORE by Hitendra Patil
Exclusively for PRO Members. Log in here or upgrade to PRO today.
This article demonstrates how compliance, accounting and reporting can serve as doorways to deeper insights, more strategic conversations and higher-value advisory relationships.
Technology automation, artificial intelligence and more innovative solutions seem to make it even more logical for accountants to feel that the future is more about advisory services than ever before.
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Jaimie Nichols: She Left Firm Life. Two Years Later, She Works Less Than 20 Hours a Week. | Big 4 Transparency
“I make more money now, but more importantly, I’m not miserable.”
This is a preview. The complete video episode, with commentary and transcript, is first available exclusively to PRO Members | Go PRO here
Sponsored by The Balanced Millionaire: The Advisor Edition by Dr. Jackie Meyer | See Today’s Special OfferSubscribe to CPA
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Big 4 Transparency
By Dominic Piscopo, CPA
For CPA Trendlines
Jaimie Nichols expected her accounting practice to grow faster. Two years after leaving firm life, she is glad it didn’t.
Nichols started the practice around the time she learned she was going to become a mother. Now, she tells host Dominic Piscopo on The Big 4 Transparency, she has earned more than she did at her former job while spending far more time with her young son.
“It was the best decision ever,” she says.
MORE Dominic Piscopo | MORE Private Equity | MORE Pay & Compensation
Nichols reports $120,000 in revenue and roughly $10,000 in expenses for 2025. She says she worked fewer than 20 hours a week, even during tax season, and fewer than 10 hours a week outside it. Family members helped with childcare for several weeks during tax season, but she had no paid childcare that year. She estimates that saved her at least $35,000 in infant care costs.
The numbers are striking. Nichols is just as interested in what they leave room for. READ MORE →
“Set It and Forget It” Is Not an AI Strategy | It’s Not Just the Numbers
Accounting teams must ensure their people can recognize anomalies, challenge outputs, and apply sound judgment.
This is a preview. The complete video episode, with commentary and transcript, is first available exclusively to PRO Members | Go PRO here
Sponsored by Radical Pricing: Optimize Profits, Delight Clients, and Build a Top-Value Firm
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It’s Not Just the Numbers
With Penny Breslin and Damien Greathead
For CPA Trendlines
AI is everywhere in accounting right now.
It’s in your inbox, on the Super Bowl, and probably inside at least one tool your firm uses for tax prep. But there’s a conversation happening inside serious accounting firms, the ones processing thousands of returns, managing global teams, and serving clients who expect more than a spreadsheet, that the vendor demos don’t cover.
MORE Penny Breslin and Damien Greathead | MORE Advisory & Consulting
JOIN From Scorekeeper to Strategist CAS Workshop | BUY “It’s Not Just the Numbers”
That conversation is about critical thinking.
It may be the most important skill your firm could be developing right now, precisely because AI is making it easier to stop using it.
When Accounting Changes Faster Than Your Career Plan | Accounting Voices
The profession isn’t slowing down, but accountants can build clarity, visibility, and career capital to move forward with greater control.
Sponsored by The Balanced Millionaire: Advisor Edition – See Today’s Special Offer
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Accounting Voices
With Rob Brown
Accountants have spent years preparing for demanding work. Far fewer are prepared for what happens when the nature of that work changes almost overnight.
Artificial intelligence, private equity, mergers, leadership changes, shifting client expectations, regulatory pressures, and persistent talent shortages are reshaping accounting at the same time. The result is not simply a busier profession. It is a profession in which many people are quietly asking a much bigger question: Is this still the career I signed up for?
In this reflective episode of Accounting Voices, listeners are encouraged to pause before charging into another year of goals, deadlines, and transformation projects. The conversation acknowledges something professionals do not always feel permitted to say: An extraordinary level of change takes a personal toll.
Feeling tired, cautious, unsettled, or less fulfilled is not necessarily evidence that someone is failing. It may be a normal response to an abnormal pace of disruption.
Five Common Pitfalls and How to Overcome Them
Transitioning isn’t always smooth sailing.
By Jackie Meyer
When I made the decision to shift from a compliance-heavy firm to an advisory-first firm focused on delivering measurable ROI, I wish I could say it was seamless. It wasn’t. This kind of transformation brings new opportunities, but it also brings challenges – some that you can anticipate, and others that take you by surprise. The key to success isn’t avoiding challenges altogether (that’s impossible); it’s learning to navigate them when they arise.
MORE: Will Your Success be Incremental or Exceptional? | Your Balanced Millionaire Journey Begins Now | How to Cultivate Holistic Wealth | Five Hard-Earned Lessons from Exiting an Accounting Firm | It’s Never Too Early to Plan Your Exit Strategy | Beyond Blocking: More Time Management Strategies | Reclaim Your Hours with Time Management and Productivity Hacks | How to Bring Core Values into Your Accounting Firm | Ten Key Guidelines for Accounting Staff | Hiring Strategies for Your Dream Team | The AI Revolution: Embracing Artificial Intelligence in Your Practice
Exclusively for PRO Members. Log in here or upgrade to PRO today.
In this article, I want to help you understand the common pitfalls that can derail your progress and the practical steps you can take to overcome them. Whether it’s dealing with clients who are stuck in the old model, learning to price confidently or avoiding burnout, there are solutions to keep you moving forward.
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